Is there much standardization in strongman competitions? I'm aware of the IFSA (I can Google), but do they sanction most of the meets? Are there other sanctioning bodies?

I get the impression that most meets use a unique combination of events, and that it's hard to compare one to the other.

I'm genuinely impressed by anyone who competes in any of these events.

1st, Don't worry about the bench and squat numbers. I've done about 15 competitions so far, many of them being pro qualifiers, and have never done either in a competition. The World's Strongest Man does it but that's another story.

As far as standardization with the events, not really. You may have a barbell deadlift for reps, 2" thick axle deadlift for reps, or car deadlift. Every competitor usually knows the events in advance, but, since many of the stuff is homemade, it's pretty much up to the promoter. As a competitor, you just have to show up and be more well rounded than everyone else. A good mix of max effort strength and work capacity is required. Basically, you have to be able to move heavy weights fast!

As for organizations, TWI (they host world's strongest man) and Strongman Champions League (SCL) rule the international pro circuit. They top athlete's from SCL get invited to TWI's world's. (generally, unfortunatly there are some politics involved). IFSA has been out of business for a year or two.

I don't know about New Guinea, but here in the states we have an amature organization: